Box Score MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Brandi Bisping scored a career-high 22 points, but it was not enough as the Milwaukee women's basketball team dropped a 66-58 decision against North Dakota on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers tied it up with 6:22 to play, but the Fighting Hawks shot 50 percent in the final period to hold off the Panthers.
 
"I felt like it was one of our more complete games in terms of how we moved the ball and how we worked together as a team," Head Coach Kyle Rechlicz commented. "We just didn't hit shots when we needed to. Credit to UND for their pressure and keeping us off balance."
 
Bisping finished the night 8-for-10 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the free throw line for her career-high. The junior also pulled in a team-high eight rebounds in 36 minutes of action.
 
"Brandi is our toughness. She has this will to win and was competing on all levels - offense, defense, rebounding, everything," Rechlicz stated.
 
Down a pair with just over six minutes to play, Jamie Reit converted a layup to knot it at 50-50 but North Dakota responded with a layup and a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to once again gain control.
 
Bisping made a layup at the 3:36 mark and followed with a pair of free throws to pull Milwaukee within three, but once again, the Fighting Hawks got a timely triple to foil the rally. From there, UND finished 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute to seal the win.
 
The Panthers had some open looks in the fourth quarter but couldn't get anything to fall as they went 0-for-13 from three-point range in the final 10 minutes.
 
After a lackluster offense effort from both sides, Milwaukee controlled after the first period thanks to a three-pointer from Reit and a pair of free throws from Bre Cera to make it 19-16.
 
The teams traded baskets in the second but a jumper from Emma Wittmershaus gave Milwaukee its largest lead of the night at 29-24. North Dakota responded with a layup and a three-pointer to pull ahead by one and held the lead until Reit's game-tying score in the fourth.
 
The third quarter belonged to Milwaukee as the Panthers used an 11-6 rebounding advantage to third to outscore the Fighting Hawks 16-15 and cut the deficit to three. MKE shot 40 percent from the floor and turned four UND turnovers into eight points.
 
As a team, Milwaukee shot 33.3 percent from the floor and connected on just 17.2 percent (5-for-29) of shots from long range.
 
"We talked alot about roles on our team this week and I thought our shooters played their role tonight, they just weren't falling," Rechlicz said. "I was proud of our team. North Dakota is a good team and we battled hard."
 
Despite UND holding a size advantage, Milwaukee held a 41-35 rebounding advantage and outscored the Fighting Hawks 30-22 in the paint.
 
Lizzie Odegard contributed all over the floor with five rebounds, five assists, and three points. Alyssa Fischer came off the bench to score seven points and pull in two rebounds in 16 minutes.
 
After a week off, the Panthers will head into Horizon League play as they host Wright State on Saturday, December 28 at 2:00 pm. Tickets and live coverage for the afternoon contest can be found on MKEPanthers.com.